I believe in the four seasons. Not the seasons in sunny Arizona or the seasons at the top of snow-capped mountain peaks. But the true four seasons of the mid west. The distinct smell of new grass in the damp spring; the natural warmth on every inch of skin in the summer; the wind that scatters crisp leaves across the ground during autumn; and, the glistening snow coating each tree branch throughout winter. I believe there is a positive to each. I believe in the beauty of change.
The year is 365 days long, but only one fourth of the year is my favorite season. That means approximately 91 days are the right temperature, feeling, and atmosphere for me to be happiest. And with that, 274 days are left to be the second best option. Or if I’m fully ranking the seasons, the third or fourth best option. But I have to welcome change with open arms. I have to learn to accept the other seasons besides the one I love most. I can’t waste my life away waiting for the good to come around, I need to make good out of the bad as well.
More often than not, our plans get run off course. We want happiness, and something drags us down. We want the fresh start of the fall season, and we are greeted by nipping winter winds. These changes are inevitable and sometimes the second (or third or fourth) best option is all you have. So, we must play the optimist and make the best with those changes. And instead of waiting for the long summer nights, we have to live for the 9:30 sunsets and the planting of fresh flowers and playing in the powdery snow and the blur of orange and red trees out our windows on fall afternoon drives.
In life, times change. This means not only do temperatures and precipitation forms constantly fluctuate, but we endure different hardships. Friends become lost in the sea of people you now only somewhat know, loved ones are lost, and someone tells us we will never become the rock star, astronaut, or author we always dreamed of being. When these changes occur we can either let them define us or use them as fuel to strengthen us. We might never appreciate our best friend if a previous one didn’t treat us poorly. We might never appreciate the natural warmth of the sun if we didn’t have to endure the winter months with only the heat of a fireplace. I might never discover how much I love Science if I only ever give English my full effort. I might never discover how much I love jumping in leaf piles if I don’t first accept the leaves must fall until the trees are naked.
Life is truly all about perspective. You either are waiting for the good, or creating the good for yourself. But also, the rough times makes the great even better, and both help to form our character. No hardship can ruin us, but how we handle the hardship has the ability to change us for the worse or the better. Change is often feared. Second, third, and fourth best seasons are feared. People are scared of the icy roads, of the brown, soppy grass, of the dehydrating heat, of the bare branches. However, these fears only come about from festering in our minds and focusing on the negatives. There is positivity hiding under snow piles. There is positivity blooming with each flower. There is positivity in bottles of sunscreen. There is positivity with each cool gust of air. But each person has to discover the different forms of positivity instead of waiting for the one in which they’re most familiar. They may be different, but they are nothing to fear. The four seasons are good and change is necessary.